Entertainment Weekly: the mystery of Rey’s family will be revealed in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly continued his fantastic coverage of Star Wars: The Last Jedi today, and finally addressed one of the most significant questions regarding the sequel trilogy–the mystery of Rey’s family. With respect to our friend Steele, the biggest mystery raised by Star Wars: The Force Awakens was Rey’s background and family lineage. Star Wars is a saga built around family tragedy, and it’s natural for fans to be ravenously curious about the family history of our new hero.

Unsurprisingly, there have been countless theories on who Rey’s parents are. Many have also wondered whether we would even be given a clear answer to this question in The Last Jedi. Fortunately, according to Breznican, “The Last Jedi will finally resolve the question that fans have been debating for two years.”

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Rey (Daisy Ridley)

That’s a relief for fans like myself who were worried that we would have to wait until Episode IX (or beyond!) for these answers. Of course, as with most questions, answers to this question raises more questions, including “How much does Rey’s lineage matter?” In speaking with Breznican about this issue, Director Rian Johnson seems to imply that it matters, but maybe not in the way that Rey (or the audience) expects:

“To me, it’s important insofar as it’s important to her,” Johnson says. “And I think it’s important to her in terms of what is her place in all of this? What’s going to define her in this story? She was told in the last movie that the answer’s not in the past; it’s looking forward. But she’s showing up on this island to talk to this hero from the past.”

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Finn (John Boyega) in a Ski Speeder on Crait

Significantly overshadowed by the mystery of Rey’s family history is the question of Finn’s background. Apparently, The Last Jedi will be giving us at least a few more details on that as well:

“We will learn more about his past and where he came from, and potentially why he made the decision [to escape] that he made,” Boyega says. “I’m also very curious. The question that needs to be answered is why he decided to leave as a stormtrooper in the first place. We will find out just a little bit more about him.”

As interesting as it will be to learn about where our two new heroes have come from, I’m equally intrigued by how these revelations will impact how the audience views Rey and Finn. If Rey is a Kenobi or a Skywalker or comes from some other notable family, will that validate her as a character? If she isn’t actually related to anybody significant in the Star Wars universe, does that matter to fans? I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how all this unfolds.